Page 16 of Dissent (The Dissenter Saga #1)

I couldn’t even fathom how many of them there were.

The rebellion wasn’t some band of a few radicals like Raúl had said.

They were an army, and a well-trained one from the look of it.

The thought sent a chill down my spine. Did the REG know?

Did Jacob or Raúl or anyone know that there were this many Dissenters?

Moreover, did anyone know that it wasn’t just desert beyond the wall?

Because that’s exactly where I had to be—beyond the wall. There was no place in Telvia with real vegetation like this. Somehow, Chelsea had gotten me out of Telvia and into…

Where the hell am I?

Focused on my surroundings, I didn’t realize when we stopped in front of a large tent—the biggest I’d seen so far.

Chelsea pulled back the flap and stepped aside to let me in.

Lifting my chin, I stood up straighter, and entered.

Inside, there was a large, circular table that encompassed most of the space, but the center of the table was hollow.

A massive device sat in the middle, but I had no idea what it was or what it did.

The walls were lined with maps, covered with markings and push pins holding down colored slips of paper across the 2D depictions.

But, once again, I couldn’t tell what these places were or even where these locations might be.

There were a variety of individuals seated around the table.

Some had military uniforms decorated with medals, while others were dressed more casually in the same outfit everyone else was sporting.

They all shifted their attention to me as soon as I entered the space.

Only one of them stood. She was an older woman, crow’s feet framing her gentle brown eyes.

Wrinkles around her mouth were evidence of a lifetime of laughter.

Her gray hair, laced with brown hues, was neatly braided and rested across her shoulder and down her chest, drawing my attention to the pin placed prominently over her heart.

The symbol of the Dissenters—a single flame shaped like a bird in flight. Her motions were soft, but confident.

Chelsea stepped out from behind me. “President De’vor,” she began. “Ma’am, I present you with Mara de la Puente, daughter of the Telvian president.”

The woman nodded her head. “Thank you, Miss McKenna.” Her gaze then fell to me with a smile. “Mara, welcome to the Dissenters. I’m so glad you have finally returned to us.”

“Excuse me?” The question slipped out involuntarily. President? And what the hell did she mean by returned ?

“Council, we are adjourned. Please enjoy the rest of your day. I believe a much-deserved break is in order.” The room remained quiet, but the individuals around the table shifted their chairs and left.

“Ma’am,” Matias called, “Would you like me to remain, or shall I step out?”

“Please, why don’t the three of you join me.

” She motioned for us to take a seat at the table, and not knowing what else to do, I complied.

“Allow me to begin by introducing myself. My name is Sasha De’vor, the leader of this rebellion.

As of now, I am currently serving as the Commander in Chief, but I’m not a fan of titles. You may call me Sasha.”

I wasn’t sure what to say. This was all too crazy for me. My silence must have told her to keep going because she began speaking again. “You probably have many questions, and I’m happy to answer all of them as best as I can. Why don’t you tell me what you already know?”

I stayed quiet. All I knew was, if I wanted to escape, I was going to have to play along for now. I started with the first question I had when I first woke up. “Where am I?”

“The mountains. This encampment is the primary location for the resistance.”

“Are we close to home?” Maybe I could find a way back.

“Yes…and no.” She clasped her hands together as she continued. “We’re close enough to Telvia to allow my troops to conduct business within Telvian borders, but far enough away that we seldom have interference from Telvian scouts.”

“Uh huh…” I mumbled. Well, that wouldn’t work. I grimaced. “So, what’s your plan? To hold me for ransom?”

Sasha laughed. “ Goodness no. You’re not a hostage nor prisoner. As I mentioned before, we are glad to have you. And, from what I’ve been told, we saved you.”

My breath caught in my throat. She was right. They did save me. So where did that leave me now? I brought my fingers to my temples. “God, this is too crazy.”

“I understand how overwhelming this must be for you, child.”

I closed my eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. I was in deep shit, and I knew it. I was at the rebel camp with no clue where to go or how to escape. And even if I escaped, I had nowhere to go. I was so screwed. I took another deep breath to calm my nerves as a question came to mind.

“If I’m not your prisoner and you’re not using me as some sort of bargaining chip, then why the hell did you guys save me? What’s the point?”

A somber look came over Sasha’s eyes, and a gentle smile told me she was empathetic to my experience. “Dear Mara, I’m so sorry. I suppose I forgot that they have hidden the truth from you for so long.”

“What truth?”

The President watched me silently before sighing.

“Mara, you have grown up as a member of the Telvian presidential family. But you know that this isn’t the entire truth of the matter, correct?

” I narrowed my eyes, crossing my arms while tipping my head to one side.

This ought to be interesting. Nobody knew about my dad’s indiscretion except for my family.

As far as the rest of Telvia knew, I was Belinda’s daughter just as much as Jacob was. “What do you know of your parents?”

Licking my lips, I weighed my options. What was the right answer here? The truth or the lie?

I went with the obvious. “I know Raúl is my dad.”

“Yes. And what of your mother?”

I hesitated.

Sasha watched me, and when I didn’t respond, she finally asked, “Do you know that Belinda is not your mother?”

My chest tightened like a vice. She knows. This woman knows…but how? I nodded.

“Good,” she confirmed. “And what do you know of your real mother?”

That was a good question…a painful question. I knew nothing about my real mom. Belinda forbade it. “Not much,” I answered honestly.

“Do you know that Raúl was unfaithful to his wife?”

I nodded. There was no sense in lying. This woman clearly knew the truth, so what would I gain from playing dumb?

Nothing. “Yes, and I know that I was the product of that.” I shuffled my feet.

It felt weird talking aloud about this, especially to a stranger.

Saying it aloud—admitting that I was an illegitimate child—it made me feel gross and disgusting on the inside.

As much as I disliked admitting it, I couldn’t blame Belinda for hating me.

Sasha stared at me, face twisted in contemplation. Bringing a finger to her lips, she tapped them, considering what to say next. The silence made my skin crawl. Just as I was about to say something, she finally spoke.

“What if I were to tell you that I knew your mother very well?”

My heart seized. “What?”

Sasha took a deep breath leaning back in her chair. “I knew your mother very well. Her name was Nora, and she was quite a force to be reckoned with.”

I was grateful that I was sitting because my legs suddenly felt weak and shaky. “But…but how? How did you—”

“She was a rebel herself,” she cut in easily. “The people loved her, though she and I didn’t always see eye-to-eye. But I respected her very much.”

That wasn’t possible. It had to be a lie. There was no way my mother was a rebel. Subclass? Yes, that was true, but there was no way my father would have slept with a Dissenter. “You’re lying.”

“I assure you I am not.” Her voice was gentle, and she remained calm while I felt like I was about to explode. “Why else would Belinda and Raúl keep her a secret from you?”

My heart kicked into high gear, hammering against my chest. Why? “Because he cheated,” I answered. “Isn’t that why enough?”

“Come now, child. Do you really believe that your father’s infidelity is reason enough to keep Nora’s identity a secret?”

I crossed my arms, refusing to answer that question.

Sasha sighed before looking at Chelsea and Matias.

“Would you both please leave us for a few moments?” Chelsea and Matias glanced briefly at one another before standing and leaving the room.

Sasha returned her attention to me. “I’m going to ask that you listen to what I am about to say.

I’ll tell you everything, and all I ask in exchange is that you at least consider what I am saying to be true. ”

I looked at her, narrowing my eyes. In truth, I was curious, and playing along still seemed like my best option at this point. “All right.”

Sasha stood, stretching her legs as she spoke.

“Your mother was born after the second civil war. Most call it the Division War where the country was divided up into separate factions. After that time, we came into an era of peace. Nora was a spirited child, growing up in the West, and in her young adult years, she met your father. It wasn’t long before the two became friends. ”

“They knew each other as teens?” I could have kicked myself for speaking, but no one ever spoke of my mother. Perhaps I was finally going to get some answers.

Sasha nodded. “They met as children, yes. But their romance didn’t begin until later.”

I choked, which resulted in a snort, which resulted in my coughing.

“Good heavens, child, are you all right?”

I waved a hand at her to keep going while I tried to muffle the sound of my coughs. The idea that my parents had been in love was as foreign to me as a pool.